Growth Layers and Its Complex Structure in a Common Species Under Uncommon Conditions: <i>Pelophylax ridibundus</i> in the Talysh Mountains

In the Talysh Mountains, the marsh frog, Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771), increases its distribution due to human activity. In the mountain forest belt, frogs inhabit flowing ponds with cold spring water. These reservoirs are characterized by a stable temperature regime: the water in them is kept at the level of 10 – 12°C in winter and does not fall below 6°C, and in summer does not rise above 18°C. Probably, the cold flow water of ponds in the mountain-forest belt of Talysh can cause some features of growth and maturation for P. ridibundus. The aim of our work was to study the features of the structure of growth layers including the variation in degree of expression of lines of arrested growth (LAGs) of the marsh frogs in ponds with cold flow water. Frogs were collected in the upper part of the Tangeru River gorge in Sym village of Astara District of Azerbaijan (480 m a.s.l.) in August 2018. In total, we studied skeletochronologically 8 females and 9 males. In contrast to the results of the tubular bones studies in the marsh frog presented in earlier works, the studied individuals are characterized by a more complex and diverse structure in the cross section of shin bones. All the revealed diversity of this structure can be divided into three groups. To the first group are relatively rare cases in which there are growth layers with wintering LAGs and additional growth layers but without additional LAGs. The second group includes more frequent cases in which there are growth layers not only with wintering LAGs but with additional LAGs differing discretely from wintering LAGs. The third group includes the rarest cases where there are growth layers with wintering LAGs and with additional LAGs without discrete difference from wintering LAGs. The revealed high variable structure of growth layers and distinctiveness of LAGs in P. ridibundus can be explained by unusual temperature regime in habitat of studied population and the existence of several activity period during a year. The most continuous period of low temperatures (February and March) corresponds to formation hibernation LAGs and dark rings in growth layers. Besides, period from early December to late January may be so cold that frog growth retard sufficiently or stop completely. The formation of more dark parts of growth layers or even several additional LAGs can correspond to this period.

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To syntaxonomy and ecology of communities with participation of alien species Hordeum jubatum L. in the South Urals

Vegetation of Russia ◽

10.31111/vegrus/2020.38.13 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 13-26

Author(s):

Ya. M. Golovanov ◽

L. M. Abramova

Keyword(s):

Poa Pratensis ◽

Steppe Zone ◽

Forest Belt ◽

Mountain Forest ◽

South Urals ◽

Forest Steppe ◽

The South ◽

Juncus Gerardii ◽

Hordeum Jubatum ◽

The Republic

The synthaxonomy and ecology of communities with predominance of Hordeum jubatum L., included in the «black list» of the Republic of Bashkortostan (Abramova, Golovanov, 2016a), the preliminary «black list» of the Orenburg Region (Abramova et al., 2017) and the «Black book of flora of Middle Russia» (Vinogradova et al., 2010), are discussed in the article, which continues a series of publications on the classification of communities with alien species in the South Urals (Abramova, 2011, 2016; Abramova, Golovanov, 2016b). H. jubatum was first found in the South Urals in 1984 as an adventive plant occurring along streets in the town of Beloretsk, as well as in gardens where it was grown as an ornamental plant. During the 1980s, it was met also at some railway stations and in several rural localities. Its active distribution throughout the South Urals started in XXI century (Muldashev et al., 2017). Currently, H. jubatum, most naturalized in the native salted habitats of the steppe zone, is often found in disturbed habitats in all natural zones within the region. The short vegetating period and resistance to drought allowed it to be naturalized also in dry steppes, where it increasingly acts as the main weed on broken pastures. The aim of the work, conducted during 2011–2017, was further finding the centers of H. jubatum invasion in 3 regions adjacent to the South Urals — the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Chelyabinsk and Orenburg Regions (Fig. 1). In the main sites of H. jubatum invasion 71 relevès were performed on 10–100 m² sample plots with the information of location, date, the plot size, the total cover, average and maximum height of herb layer. Classification was carried out following the Braun-Blanquet method (Braun-Blanquet, 1964) with using the Kopecký–Hejný approach (Kopecký, Hejný, 1974). The community ecology was assessed by weighted average values according to the optimal ecological scales by E. Landolt with usfge of the software of IBIS (Zverev, 2007). PCA-ordination method with usage CANOCO 4.5 software package was applied to identify patterns of environmental differentiation of invasive communities. The current wide distribution area of H. jubatum and its naturalization in synanthropic, meadow and saline communities in the South Urals, as well as its occurrence within mountain-forest belt, forest-steppe and steppe zones both in the Cis- and Trans-Urals, indicates species wide ecological amplitude, high adaptive capability and invasive potential. Its vast thickets are known in the steppe zone, both in disturbed steppes around settlements and along the banks of water bodies. The invasion sites are smaller in the northern regions and mountain forest belt, where these are located in settlements or along communication lines. Therefore, the steppe zone is more favorable for invasive populations, and their distribution will continue from the south to the north. Communities with predominance of H. jubatum, described earlier (Abramova, Golovanov, 2016b) in the Cis-Urals as two derivative communities (associations Hordeum jubatum [Scorzonero–Juncetea gerardii], Hordeum jubatum [Artemisietea]) and Polygono avicularis–Hordeetum jubati, were met in other regions of the South Urals. Also a new derivative community Hordeum jubatum–Poa pratensis [Cynosurion cristati], occuring in the northern part of the Cis-Urals and Trans-Urals, was established. In new habitats this species forms three types of communities: ass. Polygono avicularis–Hordeetum jubati (Fig. 2) the most widespread in anthropogenic habitats throughout the South Urals; derivative community Hordeum jubatum–Juncus gerardii [Scorzonero–Juncetalia gerardii] (Fig. 5) which replaces saline meadows mainly in the steppe zone of the region; derivative community Hordeum jubatum–Poa pratensis [Cynosurion cristati] (Fig. 4) which y replaces low-herb meadows in the forest-steppe zone and mountain-forest belt. PCA ordination (Fig. 6) shows that moisture (H) and soil richness-salinization (S) factors are in priority in differentiation of communities with predominance H. jubatum. The first axis is mainly related to the salinization and soil richness. The community pattern along the second axis is associated with wetting factor. The cenoses of the derivative community Hordeum jubatum–Poa pratensis [Cynosurion cristati] (less salted substrates in drier conditions in the northern part of the forest-steppe zone and the mountain forest belt) are grouped in the upper part of the ordination diagram, while communities of ass. Polygono avicularis–Hordeetum jubati (drier conditions in settlements, the steppe zone) in its low left part. Thus, axis 1 also reflects the intensity of trampling. Another group is formed by cenoses of the derivate community Hordeum jubatum–Juncus gerardii [Scorzonero–Juncetalia gerardii], (salt substrates with a high level of moisturization, on not very damaged water body banks). All communities with H. jubatum are well differentiated in the space of the main ordination axes that indirectly confirms the correctness of our syntaxonomic decision. Undoubted is further expansion of H. jubatum with its entering both anthropogenic and natural plant communities within the South Urals that suggests a constant monitoring in centers of species invasion.

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Endoparasitic helminths of water frog complex in Poland: do differences exist between the parental species Pelophylax ridibundus and Pelophylax lessonae, and their natural hybrid Pelophylax esculentus?

Helminthologia ◽

10.2478/s11687-011-0020-8 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 108-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M. Popiołek ◽

B. Rozenblut-Kościsty ◽

M. Kot ◽

W. Nosal ◽

M. Ogielska

Keyword(s):

20Th Century ◽

Parental Species ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Natural Hybrid ◽

Intensity Of Infection ◽

Water Frog ◽

Pelophylax Ridibundus ◽

Water Frogs ◽

Pelophylax Esculentus ◽

Cosmocerca Ornata

AbstractParasitic fauna of water frogs was mainly studied in the second half of the 20th century. However, these studies were done without differentiation into species and hybrids and pooled the 3 taxa as “water frogs” or “green frogs”. The aim of this study was to make an inventory of helminth species as well as their prevalence and intensity of infection in the two parental species (Pelophylax ridibundus and P. lessonae) and the hybrid (P. esculentus) of water frogs from 3 big populations composed of hundreds or thousands of individuals inhabited natural and seminatural landscapes in Poland. Eight helminth species were found: Polystoma integerrimum, Diplodiscus subclavatus, Opisthoglyphe ranae, Gorgodera cygnoides, Haematoloechus variegatus, Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Cosmocerca ornata and Acanthocephalus ranae. The results were compared with data from other, polish and European studies. Additionally we compared the level of infection among water frog taxa.

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First bioacoustic and morphological data for the presence of Pelophylax bedriagae in Bulgaria

Acta Scientifica Naturalis ◽

10.2478/asn-2018-0008 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 54-63

Author(s):

Simeon Lukanov ◽

Georgi Popgeorgiev ◽

Nikolay Tzankov

Keyword(s):

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Morphological Data ◽

Marsh Frog ◽

Water Frog ◽

Pelophylax Ridibundus ◽

Mating Calls ◽

The Town ◽

Pelophylax Bedriagae ◽

Made In

AbstractWater frog mating calls from two localities were studied and analyzed. Recordings were made in the summer of 2010 at the Arkutino swamp near the town of Primorsko and at the Vurbitza River near the town of Momchilgrad. A total of 154 calls were analyzed and the results suggested the presence of both the Marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) and the Levant frog (Pelophylax bedriagae) in both sites, with the former being more frequent in Vurbitza River, and the latter – in Arkutino. At Vurbitza, we also captured and measured 2 specimens, which morphological characteristics differed from P. ridibundus and matched those of P. bedriagae. These are the first localities for P. bedriagae in Bulgaria.

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